I have trained, or tried to train, bird dogs and retrievers for about 50 years, and most of my efforts have resulted in pretty good meat dogs. None were field trial winners or what might be considered top gun dogs. However, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. My dogs please me, and that's what's important.

Last winter I ran into a bird dog training problem which stopped me in my tracks. I simply did not know how to progress, or any training tricks which might solve it.

It's my feeling that a gun dog retrieving wild game is equally as important as pointing birds or finding downed waterfowl. There is no point in shooting a bird and then not being able to retrieve it, or having to go find and retrieve to quarry yourself while your dog watches.

My problem was with Jock, an 18 month old Brittany, who had been retrieving game birds reasonably well all fall out west and during November and December here in New Jersey.

In January I noted that he was not enthusiastic about bringing a bird back to me. Suddenly, one day he refused to retrieve. He quickly found the fallen bird and just stood there with it as if to say, "Here it is, come and get it." Then he went on hunting while I picked up the bird.

I tried all the retriever training techniques in the books --- calling him and then running in the other direction to excite him; rewards and lavish praise; and even some work on a checkcord.

Nothing seemed to work.

Several of my experienced dog training friends suggested force breaking to retrieve as the most practical answer. This training requires the ultimate in patience, which I don't have, and repeated, daily serious training for a month.

I made several phone calls to bird dog trainers who specialize in force breaking and selected Neil Lessard at Stockley Kennels in Eastville, Va., on the Cape Charles Peninsula.

It was a seven-hour drive on a hot June day to deliver Jock to Neil. Lessard immediately liked the dog's look and his temperament and said he could have him retrieving in about a month.

Lessard went through the force breaking procedure, which amounts to three 15 minute training sessions a day of learning three basic commands. The remainder of the time the dog was to be kenneled.

The training technique is to place the dog on a 20-foot long by two-foot wide elevated table with an overhead wire and short lead to the dog's collar to prevent him from jumping off the table.

The first couple of days are spent getting the dog accustomed to the table. Then Lessard introduces the dog to holding a "buck" or training dummy in his mouth. Some dogs, including mine, will refuse to open their mouths to accept and hold the buck on command. At this point the trainer pinches the center two toes on the dog's front foot. When he opens his mouth, the buck is inserted and the mouth held closed with the command "hold".

Once the dog learns to hold the buck, he is walked down the table and taught to pick up the buck with the command "dead", pick up the buck, and "hold" as he returns with it, and then to "give" to the trainer. It's that simple to explain, but frequently more difficult to accomplish, depending on the dog's temperament and willingness to learn.

I called Lessard every week for a progress report on Jock's training. The first call was to the effect that Jock was hard-headed at holding the buck, but was learning. The second week's report was that he was progressing but not enjoying it. The third week he was doing better but resisting the training. The fourth week Lessard reported that Jock knew what he was supposed to do and would perform perfectly a dozen times and then get bored.

In the fifth and final week of training, Lessard took Jock into the field and worked him on released birds. At this point, Jock suddenly put it all together. The answer to my final call to Lessard was, "You have a retrieving fool. Come get him".

Lessard took me and Jock into the field and worked Jock on a dozen birds. Every one was a fast retrieve, a delivery directly to my hand and a happy, enthusiastic dog. I was delighted. Lessard warned me that Jock might test me and showed how to pinch his toes to remind him.

Sure enough, on his first retrieve at home he picked up the training dummy, dropped it and looked at me. I walked to him and reached for his toes. Instantly, he picked up the dummy, walked with me as I repeated "hold", and gave it to me on "give".

For several days, on our daily halfhour run, I made him retrieve four times. Not once did he fail on land or water. He really got into the retrieving game and obviously enjoyed it.

All of which taught me that if you are serious about your gun dog training and you run into a problem, it's wise to seek professional assistance from a respected and experienced trainer. The same is true with obedience training of house dogs and family pets. If you encounter what appears to be an impossible training situation, seek some experienced or professional help before you make a bad dog training situation worse.